Women’s Basketball Takes On St. Thomas For MIAC Playoff Championship

ST. PETER, Minn. – The No. 13/17-ranked and MIAC No. 2 seed Gustavus Adolphus College women’s basketball team is set to take on the No. 2/3-ranked and No. 1 seed University of St. Thomas Sunday afternoon for the MIAC Playoff Championship.

Last time out:The Gusties defeated Bethel University Friday evening at Gus Young Court in a MIAC Playoff Semifinal matchup by a score of 72-67 to advance to the championship.

MIAC Playoff History: Since the initiation of the six-team MIAC Tournament in the 2000-01 season, the Gusties have qualified for the conference playoffs every year. Gustavus is making its 17th consecutive appearance in the MIAC Playoffs this season, holding a record of 9-16 in that time. No team in the MIAC has earned a trip to the league playoffs every year except for Gustavus. The Gusties have found success playing at Gus Youg Court, as the Black and Gold hold a 9-2 record in home playoff games during the course of the 17-year stretch. While Gustavus has yet to claim a MIAC Playoff title, they have earned five trips to the NCAA Tournament.

The Series: Sunday’s contest marks the 80th all-time meeting between Gustavus and St. Thomas with the Tommies holding a 56-23 record over the Gusties. The teams previously met Feb. 1 at Gus Young Court as the Tommies handed the Gusties their only loss of the season. The two programs have met each other six times in playoff history with St. Thomas owning a record of 5-1 over Gustavus. The last playoff meeting between the two teams came in 2013-14 in a quarterfinal matchup with St. Thomas previaling 66-51 in St. Paul.

Scouting the Tommies: St. Thomas defeated the No. 4-seeded College of Saint Benedict Friday to advance to the MIAC Playoff Championship for the eighth consecutive season. The No. 2/3-nationally ranked Tommies are undefeated with with a 26-0 overall record on the season. St. Thomas averages 74.2 points per game while averaging a league-best 52.5 points against per game. Kaitlyn Langer leads the Tommies as the leading scorer in the MIAC, averaging 19.3 points per game. In the 16-year exsitence of the MIAC Playoffs, St. Thomas has qualified for the postseason in all but one season and holds an overall playoff record of 21-7 and six playoff championships.

Among the National Leaders: Out of 440 teams in NCAA Division III women’s basketball, Gustavus sits near the top in multiple statistical rankings. The 78.4 free throw percentage is second best in the nation, the 46.5 field goal percentage ranks third, the 96.0 winning percentage is tied for sixth best, and the 18.1 assists per game ranks seventh best. Miranda Rice (Jr., Forest Lake, Minn.) ranks eighth-best in the nation with a 58.9 field goal percentage. Mikayla Miller (Jr., Goodhue, Minn.) ranks among the top-50 in the country in assists, steals, and free throw percentage.

Gustavus notables:

– Mikayla Miller continues to lead the Gusties, averaging 17.2 points per game – which ranks second highest in the MIAC. Miller leads the league with an 87.4 free throw percentage and 82 steals, 3.2 per game.

– Miranda Rice ranks third behind Miller in the MIAC, averaging 16.4 points per game. Rice also ranks second in the MIAC with a 58.0 field goal percentage.

– Gustavus ranks first in the MIAC in points per game (75.9), field goal percentage (46.2), free throw percentage (78.6), assists per game (17.9), and steals per game (11.9).

– Gustavus finished the regular season with a program record 24 wins in a regular season and record .960 winning percentage.

– Last Saturday’s win on senior day marked Head Coach Laurie Kelly’s 90th career win in her fifth season at Gustavus.

– The Gusties tied a program record with 25 wins in a season in the MIAC Playoff Semifinal win over Bethel Friday evening.